Pulmonary Vessel Obstruction Does Not Correlate with Severity of Pulmonary Embolism

The aim of the present study was to analyze possible relationships between pulmonary vessel obstruction and clinically relevant parameters and scores in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Overall, 246 patients (48.8% women and 51.2% men) with a mean age of 64.0 ± 17.1 years were involved in the retrospective study. The following clinical scores were calculated in the patients: Wells score, Geneva score, and pulmonary embolism severity index (PESI) score. Levels of D-dimer (µg/mL), lactate, pH, troponin, and N-terminal natriuretic peptide (BNP, pg/mL) were acquired. Thrombotic obstruction of the pulmonary arteries was quantified according to Mastora score. The data collected were evaluated by means of descriptive statistics. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to analyze associations between the investigated parameters. P values < 0.05 were taken to indicate statistical significance. Mastora score correlated weakly with lactate level and tended to correlate with D-dimer and BNP levels. No other clinical or serological parameters correlated significantly with clot burden. Thrombotic obstruction of pulmonary vessels did not correlate with clinical severity of PE.